Ehrenberg, 1838

(Ciliophora, Spirotrichea)

By Helmut BERGER

Technisches Büro für Ökologie

Consulting Engineering Office for Ecology

Submitted: December 2013; date of approval: 06.05.2014; start 01.07.2014; end 30.06.2017Acknowledgements:The financial support by the Austrian Science Fund FWF is greatly acknowledged. Many thanks to the anonymous reviewers

Ehrenberg, 1838

(Ciliophora,

Spirotrichea)

By Helmut BERGER

Technisches Büro für Ökologie

Consulting Engineering Office for Ecology

Submitted: December 2013; date of approval: 06.05.2014; start 01.07.2014; end 30.06.2017Acknowledgements:The financial support by the Austrian Science Fund FWF is greatly acknowledged. Many thanks to the anonymous reviewers

Monograph of the family Euplotidae Ehrenberg, 1838

(Ciliophora, Spirotrichea)

Helmut Berger

The family Euplotidae is an important, relatively homogenous subgroup of the Euplotia, one of the three major groups (Oligotrichia, Hypotrichia) of the spirotrichous ciliates. The pre-dominantly benthic euplotids are widely distributed in marine and limnetic habitats (including sewage treatment plants) and sometimes rather abundant. Few species live in terrestrial habitats. The euplotids are a very uniform group compared to the hypotrichs. Most species are small or medium-sized (about 40 µm to <200 µm), often distinctly sculptured, have 8–10 frontoventral cirri, five transverse cirri, three or four marginal and caudal cirri, and 8–10 dorsal kineties. An important morphological feature is the striking silverline system of the dorsal side. The nuclear apparatus is composed of a strongly curved macronucleus and a micronucleus. The contractile vacuole is in the posterior body portion near the right cell margin. Until now, about 160 species, subspecies, varieties, and forms have been described. In recent classifications, usually four genera or subgenera are accepted (Euplotes, Euplotoides, Euplotopsis, Moneuplotes). However, this morphological separation is only partly supported by gene sequence analyses.The Monograph of the Euplotidae will have the same structure like the six-volume Monograph of the Hypotricha(Monographiae Biologicae, Springer) authored by the applicant.The project comprises the following points:•The critical revision of the available data comprises the major part of the project. The experience of the applicant with the group and the closely related hypotrichous spirotrichs (many publications mainly dealing with hypotrichs and other ciliates, inter alia, 12 monographs comprising many thousands of pages) as well as comprehensive preliminary works (e.g., indexation of about 3800 papers dealing with euplotids to species level; current index to all species of the euplotids and hypotrichs; making of a bibliography) simplify, respectively, are prerequisite for the monographic treatment of this group.•Description of the supposed ground pattern on the basis of a detailed analysis of all relevant features as well as phylogenetic analysis.•Investigation of some new populations mainly from limnetic and marine (Adriatic Sea) habitats with classical morphological methods.The monograph of the euplotids will be not only an important reference book for taxonomists dealing with this group, but also a comprehensive source of information for biologists of other disciplines (ecology, molecular biology, physiology, …). The PDF-file of the monograph will be freely available (Open Access). However, on safety grounds a printed version will be also available to ensure long-term availability (>100 years).

Project description

Monograph of the family

Euplotidae Ehrenberg, 1838

(Ciliophora, Spirotrichea)

Helmut Berger

The family Euplotidae is an important, relatively homogenous subgroup of the Euplotia, one of the three major groups (Oligotrichia, Hypotrichia) of the spirotrichous ciliates. The pre-dominantly benthic euplotids are widely distributed in marine and limnetic habitats (including sewage treatment plants) and sometimes rather abundant. Few species live in terrestrial habitats. The euplotids are a very uniform group compared to the hypotrichs. Most species are small or medium-sized (about 40 µm to <200 µm), often distinctly sculptured, have 8–10 frontoventral cirri, five transverse cirri, three or four marginal and caudal cirri, and 8–10 dorsal kineties. An important morphological feature is the striking silverline system of the dorsal side. The nuclear apparatus is composed of a strongly curved macronucleus and a micronucleus. The contractile vacuole is in the posterior body portion near the right cell margin. Until now, about 160 species, subspecies, varieties, and forms have been described. In recent classifications, usually four genera or subgenera are accepted (Euplotes, Euplotoides, Euplotopsis, Moneuplotes). However, this morphological separation is only partly supported by gene sequence analyses.The Monograph of the Euplotidae will have the same structure like the six-volume Monograph of the Hypotricha (Monographiae Biologicae, Springer) authored by the applicant.The project comprises the following points:•The critical revision of the available data comprises the major part of the project. The experience of the applicant with the group and the closely related hypotrichous spirotrichs (many publications mainly dealing with hypotrichs and other ciliates, inter alia, 12 monographs comprising many thousands of pages) as well as comprehensive preliminary works (e.g., indexation of about 3800 papers dealing with euplotids to species level; current index to all species of the euplotids and hypotrichs; making of a bibliography) simplify, respectively, are prerequisite for the monographic treatment of this group.•Description of the supposed ground pattern on the basis of a detailed analysis of all relevant features as well as phylogenetic analysis.•Investigation of some new populations mainly from limnetic and marine (Adriatic Sea) habitats with classical morphological methods.The monograph of the euplotids will be not only an important reference book for taxonomists dealing with this group, but also a comprehensive source of information for biologists of other disciplines (ecology, molecular biology, physiology, …). The PDF-file of the monograph will be freely available (Open Access). However, on safety grounds a printed version will be also available to ensure long-term availability (>100 years).